Composite cable and composite harness

ABSTRACT

A composite cable is provided that improves terminal machinability while maintaining bending resistance. The composite cable is provided with: a pair of first electric wires; a twisted-pair wire obtained by twisting together a pair of second electric wires having an outer diameter that is smaller than that of the first electric wires; and a tape member spirally wrapped around an aggregate obtained by twisting the pair of first electric wires together with the twisted-pair wire. The twisting direction of the twisted-pair wire, the twisting direction of the aggregate, and the wrapping direction of the tape member are all the same direction.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a composite cable and a compositeharness and, in particular, to a composite cable and a composite harnesswhich are used in a vehicle such as automobile for connection between awheel side and a vehicle body side.

BACKGROUND ART

In recent years, electrically operated brake units are used in vehiclessuch as automobiles.

Electro-mechanical brakes (EMB) and electric parking brakes (EPB), etc.,are known as such electrically operated brake units.

The electro-mechanical brakes, also simply called electric frictionbrake or electric brake, are configured such that a rotational driveforce of a dedicated electric motor mounted on each wheel of a vehicleis controlled according to the operation amount (tread force ordisplacement amount) of a brake pedal by a driver, so that a pistondriven by the electric motor presses brake pads against a disc rotor ofthe wheel to generate a braking force intended by the driver

The electric parking brakes are configured such that a dedicatedelectric motor provided on each wheel of a vehicle is driven based on anoperation performed on a parking brake activation switch by a driverafter stopping a vehicle, so that a piston driven by the electric motorpresses brake pads against a disc rotor of the wheel to generate abraking force.

Meanwhile, in recent years, sensors, e.g., ABS (Anti-Lock Brake System)sensor for detecting the speed of a wheel rotation during motion, airpressure sensor for detecting air pressure of a tire and temperaturesensor, etc., are often mounted on wheels of vehicles.

Accordingly, the wheel side and the vehicle body side are connectedthrough composite cables in which a signal line for a sensor mounted ona wheel or a signal line for controlling an electro-mechanical brake anda power line for supplying power to an electric motor ofelectro-mechanical brake or electric parking brake are housed in onesheath. The composite cables with connectors integrally provided at endportions are called composite harness.

PTL 1 proposes a composite cable in which a lubricant such as talcpowder is interposed between plural electric wires and a sheath coveringall the plural electric wires together so that friction between theelectric wires and the sheath is reduced to reduce stress applied to theelectric wires when being bent and flex resistance is thereby improved.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature [PTL 1] JP-A-2014-135153 SUMMARY OFINVENTION Technical Problem

The composite cable described in PTL 1, however, has a problem that thelubricant such as talc powder needs to be removed by, e.g., wiping whenterminating the cable and it takes time and effort to terminate thecable.

Thus, an object of the invention is to provide a composite cable and acomposite harness that allow the improvement of cable terminationworkability while maintaining the flex resistance.

Solution to Problem

To solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention provides acomposite cable comprising: a pair of first electric wires; a twistedpair wire formed by twisting a pair of second electric wires having asmaller outer diameter than the first electric wires; and a tape memberspirally wound around an assembled article that is formed by twistingthe pair of first electric wires and the twisted pair wire together,wherein a twist direction of the twisted pair wire, a twist direction ofthe assembled article and a winding direction of the tape member are asame direction.

To solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention also provides acomposite harness comprising the composite cable described above; and aconnector attached to at least one of end portions of the first electricwires and of the second electric wires.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the invention, a composite cable and a composite harnesscan be provided that allow the improvement of cable terminationworkability while maintaining the flex resistance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle inwhich a composite cable in an embodiment of the present invention isused.

FIG. 2A is a cross sectional view showing the composite cable in theembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram illustrating twist directions of firstelectric wires and second electric wires and a winding direction of atape member in the composite cable shown in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a compositeharness in the embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT Embodiment

An embodiment of the invention will be described below in conjunctionwith the appended drawings.

(Description of the Vehicle in which the Composite Cable is Used)

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle inwhich a composite cable in the present embodiment is used.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 100 is provided with an electric parkingbrake (hereinafter, referred to as “EPB”) 101 as an electricallyoperated brake unit.

The EPB 101 is provided with an EPB motor 101 a and an EPB control unit101 b.

The EPB motor 101 a is mounted on a wheel 102 of the vehicle 100. TheEPB control unit 101 b is mounted on an ECU (electronic control unit)103 of the vehicle 100. Alternatively, the control unit 101 b may bemounted on a control unit other than the ECU 103, or may be mounted on adedicated hardware unit.

The EPB motor 101 a is provided with a piston to which brake pads areattached even though it is not illustrated, and it is configured suchthat the piston moved by rotary drive of the EPB motor 101 a presses thebrake pads against a disc rotor of a wheel (the wheel 102) to generate abraking force. A pair of first electric wires 2 as power lines areconnected to the EPB motor 101 a to supply a drive current to the EPBmotor 101 a.

The EPB control unit 101 b is configured to output a drive current tothe EPB motor 101 a for a predetermined period of time (e.g., for 1second) when a parking brake activation switch 101 c is turned from anOFF state to an ON state during the stationary state of the vehicle 100so that the brake pads are pressed against the disc rotor of the wheel102 and a braking force to be applied to the wheel 102 is generated. TheEPB control unit 101 b is also configured to output a drive current tothe EPB motor 101 a when the parking brake activation switch 101 c isturned from the ON state to the OFF state or when an accelerator pedalis depressed so that the brake pads move away from the disc rotor of thewheel and the braking force on the wheel 102 is released. In otherwords, it is configured such that an operating state of the EPB 101 ismaintained from when the parking brake activation switch 101 c is turnedon to when the parking brake activation switch 101 c is turned off orthe accelerator pedal is depressed. The parking brake activation switch101 c may be a switch of either a lever-type or pedal-type.

An ABS device 104 is also mounted on the vehicle 100. The ABS device 104is provided with an ABS sensor 104 a and an ABS control unit 104 b.

The ABS sensor 104 a is mounted on the wheel 102 to detect a rotationspeed of the wheel 102 during motion of the vehicle. The ABS controlunit 104 b is mounted on the ECU 103 to control a brake unit based on anoutput of the ABS sensor 104 a to adjust a braking force applied to thewheel 102 so that the wheel 102 is not locked when suddenly stopped. Apair of second electric wires 3 as signal lines are connected to the ABSsensor 104 a.

A composite cable 1 in the present embodiment is obtained by coveringall the first electric wires 2 and the second electric wires 3 with asheath 7 (see FIG. 2A). The composite cable 1 extending out of the wheel102 side is connected to a wire group 107 inside a junction box 106provided on a vehicle body 105 and is then connected to the ECU 103 anda battery (not shown) via the wire group 107.

Although only one wheel 102 is shown in FIG. 1 to simplify the drawing,the EPB motor 101 a and the ABS sensor 104 a may be mounted on each ofthe wheels 102 of the vehicle 100, or may be mounted on, e.g., onlyfront wheels or only rear wheels of the vehicle 100.

(Description of Composite Cable 1)

FIG. 2A is a cross sectional view showing the composite cable 1 in thepresent embodiment and FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram illustratingtwist directions of first electric wires and second electric wires and awinding direction of a tape member.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the composite cable 1 is provided with thepair of first electric wires 2, a twisted pair wire 4 formed by twistingthe pair of second electric wires 3 having a smaller outer diameter thanthe first electric wires 2, a tape member 6 spirally wound around anassembled article 5 which is formed by twisting the pair of firstelectric wires 2 and the twisted pair wire 4 together, and the sheath 7provided to cover the periphery of the tape member 6.

In the present embodiment, the first electric wire 2 is constructedusing a power line for supplying a drive current to the motor 101 a forthe EPB 101 mounted on the wheel 102 of the vehicle 100. Meanwhile, thesecond electric wire 3 is constructed using a signal line for the ABSsensor 104 a mounted on the wheel 102.

The first electric wire 2 is configured such that a first conductor 21formed by twisting highly conductive strands of copper, etc., is coveredwith a first insulation 22 formed of an insulating resin.

Strands having a diameter of not less than 0.05 mm and not more than0.30 mm can be used to form the first conductor 21. When using strandshaving a diameter of less than 0.05 mm, sufficient mechanical strengthmay not be obtained, causing a decrease in flex resistance. When usingstrands having a diameter of more than 0.30 mm, flexibility of thecomposite cable 1 may decrease.

The outer diameter of the first conductor 21 and the thickness of theinsulation 22 of the first electric wire 2 are appropriately adjustedaccording to magnitude of required drive current. In the presentembodiment, considering that the first electric wire 2 is a power linefor supplying a drive current to the motor 101 a for the EPB 101, theouter diameter of the first conductor 21 is set to not less than 1.5 mmand not more than 3.0 mm and the outer diameter of the first electricwire 2 is set to not less than 2.0 mm and not more than 4.0 mm.

The second electric wire 3 is configured such that a second conductor 31formed by twisting highly conductive strands of copper, etc., is coveredwith a second insulation 32 formed of an insulating resin such ascross-linked polyethylene. Strands having a diameter of not less than0.05 mm and not more than 0.30 mm can be used to form the secondconductor 31, in the same manner as the first conductor 21.

The outer diameter of the second electric wire 3 is smaller than that ofthe first electric wire 2. In the present embodiment, the twisted pairwire 4 formed by twisting a pair (two) of second electric wires 3 istwisted with the pair of first electric wires 2. Therefore, from theviewpoint of making the outer diameter of the composite cable 1 close toa circular shape, it is desirable to use the second electric wire 3which is about half the outer diameter of the first electric wire 2. Indetail, it is possible to use the second electric wire 3 which has anouter diameter of not less than 1.0 mm and not more than 1.8 mm and isformed using the second conductor 31 having an outer diameter of notless than 0.4 mm and not more than 1.0 mm.

A twist pitch P1 of the twisted pair wire 4 is set by taking intoaccount the outer diameter of the second electric wire 3 so that anunnecessary load is not applied to the second electric wires 3. Thetwist pitch P1 of the twisted pair wire 4 here is about 30 mm, but thetwist pitch P1 of the twisted pair wire 4 is not limited thereto. Thetwist pitch P1 of the twisted pair wire 4 is a distance along alongitudinal direction of the twisted pair wire 4 at which a givensecond electric wire 3 is located at the same position in acircumferential direction of the twisted pair wire 4.

The assembled article 5 is formed by twisting the pair of first electricwires 2 and the twisted pair wire 4 together. In the present embodiment,the assembled article 5 is configured so that the pair of first electricwires 2 are in contact with each other, the pair of second electricwires 3 are in contact with each other and the pair of first electricwires 2 are further in contact with the second electric wires 3. In thisconfiguration, the second electric wires 3 are at least partiallyarranged in a triangle boundary area between the pair of first electricwires 2.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the assembled article 5 isconfigured such that plural thread-like (fibrous) filler materials (notshown) extending in the longitudinal direction of the composite cable 1are arranged between the pair of first electric wires 2/the twisted pairwire 4 and the tape member 6 and are twisted together with the firstelectric wires 2 and the twisted pair wire 4. Thus, the twist directionand twist pitch of the plural filler materials are the same as those ofthe assembled article 5. The plural filler materials are arranged tofill a gap between the pair of first electric wires 2/the twisted pairwire 4 and the tape member 6, so that a cross sectional shape afterwinding the tape member 6 around the assembled article 5 is closer to acircle.

Some of the plural filler materials may be arranged in a triangleboundary area between the pair of first electric wires 2 and a triangleboundary area between the pair of second electric wires 3.

As the filler material, it is possible to use a fibrous material such aspolypropylene yarn, spun rayon yarn (rayon staple fiber), aramid fiber,nylon fiber or fiber plastic, a paper or a cotton yarn. In addition, thecross sectional area of the filler materials on the cross section ofFIG. 2 is preferably smaller than the cross sectional area of the firstelectric wires 2 and the cross sectional area of the second electricwires 3.

In the EPB 101, a drive current is supplied to the motor 101 a basicallywhen the vehicle is stationary. On the other hand, the ABS sensor 104 ais used when the vehicle is in motion, and the ABS sensor 104 a is notused during when the drive current is supplied through the firstelectric wires 2. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a shieldconductor around the twisted pair wire 4 is omitted. Omitting the shieldconductor allows the composite cable 1 to have a smaller diameter thanwhen providing the shield conductor and also reduces the number ofcomponents, thereby reducing the cost.

Although the first electric wire 2 for supplying a drive current to theEPB motor 101 a is described here, the first electric wire 2 may be usedto supply a drive current to, e.g., an electric motor of anelectro-mechanical brake (hereinafter, referred as EMB) provided on thewheel 102. In this case, since an electric current flows through thefirst electric wires 2 also during motion of the vehicle 100, it isdesirable to provide a shield conductor around the twisted pair wire 4to prevent malfunction of the ABS device 104 due to noise.

Meanwhile, although the second electric wire 3 as a signal line for theABS sensor 104 a is described here, the second electric wire 3 may be asignal line used for another sensor provided on the wheel 102, e.g., fora temperature sensor or an air pressure sensor for detecting airpressure of a tire, etc., or may be a damper wire used to control adamping device of the vehicle 100, or moreover, may be a signal line forcontrolling the EMB (a CAN cable, etc.). Even when the first electricwire 2 is used to supply a drive current to the EPB motor 101 a, it isdesirable to provide a shield conductor around the twisted pair wire 4in case of using the second electric wires 3 during the stationary stateof the vehicle 100 to prevent malfunction due to noise.

The outer diameter of the entire assembled article 5 is, e.g., about 5mm to 9 mm. A twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5 is set by takinginto account the outer diameter of the assembled article 5 so that anunnecessary load is not applied to the first electric wires 2 and thetwisted pair wire 4. The twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5 hereis about 60 mm, but the twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5 is notlimited thereto. The twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5 is adistance along a longitudinal direction of the assembled article 5 atwhich a given first electric wire 2 or the twisted pair wire 4 islocated at the same position in a circumferential direction of theassembled article 5.

The tape member 6 is spirally wound around the assembled article 5, andthe tape member 6 is in contact with the pair of first electric wires 2and the twisted pair wire 4. The tape member 6 is interposed between theassembled article 5 and the sheath 7 and serves to reduce frictionbetween the assembled article 5 (the electric wires 2 and 3) and thesheath 7 when being bent. In other words, providing the tape member 6can reduce friction between the electric wires 2, 3 and the sheath 7without using a lubricant such as talc powder unlike the conventionaltechnique, and thus reduces stress applied to the electric wires 2 and 3when being bent, and it is thereby possible to improve flex resistance.

The tape member 6 is desirably slidable (desirably has a low frictioncoefficient) with respect to the first insulation 22 of the firstelectric wire 2 and the second insulation 32 of the second electric wire3, and can be formed of, e.g., a non-woven fabric, a paper or a resin (aresin film, etc.). In more detail, a material of the tape member 6 isselected so that the friction coefficient (coefficient of staticfriction) between the tape member 6 and the insulations 22, 32 is lowerthan the friction coefficient (coefficient of static friction) betweenthe sheath 7 and the insulations 22, 32 without the tape member 6.

It is also possible to use the tape member 6 having a laminatedstructure composed of not less than two layers. In this case, the tapemember 6 is configured so that a surface to be in contact with theassembled article 5 is formed of any one of a non-woven fabric, a paperor a resin layer. For example, it can be configured such that the tapemember 6 is formed by providing a resin layer on one side of a paper andis wound with the resin layer having a lower friction coefficient on theassembled article 5 side.

The tape member 6 is spirally wound around the assembled article 5 so asto overlap at a portion in a width direction (a direction perpendicularto the longitudinal direction and thickness direction of the tape member6). The overlap width of the tape member 6 is, e.g., not less than ¼ andnot more than ½ of the width of the tape member 6.

The width of the tape member 6 is determined so that creases are notformed on the tape member 6 when the tape member 6 is wound, and it isdesirable that the width of the used tape member 6 be decreased with adecrease in the outer diameter of the entire assembled article 5. Indetail, when the outer diameter of the entire assembled article 5 is 5mm to 9 mm, the width of the tape member 6 is about 20 mm to 50 mm. Awinding pitch P3 of the tape member 6, i.e., a distance along alongitudinal direction at which the tape member 6 is located at the samecircumferential position (e.g., a distance between the widthwise edges),depends on the width of the tape member 6 and the overlap width (awinding angle of the tape member 6) and is up to about 40 mm in thiscase. The winding pitch P3 of the tape member 6 here is about 30 mm, butthe winding pitch P3 of the tape member 6 is not limited thereto.

If the width of the tape member 6 is increased and the winding pitch P3is also increased, the tape member 6 becomes close to the longitudinallywrapped state, resulting in that the composite cable 1 has lessflexibility and is less likely to be bent. Therefore, the winding pitchP3 of the tape member 6 is desirably not more than 40 mm.

The sheath 7 is provided around the tape member 6. The sheath 7 isformed of, e.g., a urethane resin. Although a shield conductor aroundthe tape member 6 is omitted in the present embodiment since the firstelectric wires 2 are used to supply a drive current to the EPB motor 101a and the drive current flows through the first electric wires 2 in arelatively short time, a shield conductor may be provided between thetape member 6 and the sheath 7 or around the sheath 7 depending on theintended use, etc., of the first electric wires 2.

(Twist Directions of Twisted Pair Wire 4 and Assembled Article 5 andWinding Direction of Tape Member 6)

The composite cable 1 of the present embodiment is configured such thatthe twist direction of the twisted pair wire 4, the twist direction ofthe assembled article 5 and the winding direction of the tape member 6are the same direction.

The twist direction here is a direction that the electric wires 2 and 3rotate from the base end toward the front end when the composite cable 1is viewed from the front end side (the left side of FIG. 2B, on the sidewhere the tape member 6 overlaps upon itself). In this example, thetwist direction of the twisted pair wire 4 and the twist direction ofthe assembled article 5 are the right rotation (clockwise). The twistdirection of the twisted pair wire 4 is a direction of twisting twosecond electric wires 3 together, and the twist direction of theassembled article 5 is a direction of twisting the two first electricwires 2 and the twisted pair wire 4 together.

Meanwhile, the winding direction of the tape member 6 is a directionthat the tape member 6 rotates from the base end toward the front endwhen the composite cable 1 is viewed from the front end side (the leftside of FIG. 2B, on the side where the tape member 6 overlaps uponitself). In this example, the winding direction of the tape member 6 isthe right rotation (clockwise). The cross section as viewed from thefront end side is shown in FIG. 2A in which the twist direction of thetwisted pair wire 4 is indicated by a dashed arrow A, the twistdirection of the assembled article 5 is indicated by a dashed arrow Band the winding direction of the tape member 6 is indicated by a dashedarrow C.

Since the twist direction of the twisted pair wire 4, the twistdirection of the assembled article 5 and the winding direction of thetape member 6 are the same direction, the twist of the assembled article5 spontaneously unravels by unwinding the tape member 6 when terminatingthe cable and the twist of the twisted pair wire 4 then spontaneouslyunravels by the unraveling of the twist of the assembled article 5, andit is easy to unravel the electric wires 2 and 3. This improvesdisassemblability of the composite cable 1 and thereby improves cabletermination workability.

In addition, since the twist direction of the twisted pair wire 4, thetwist direction of the assembled article 5 and the winding direction ofthe tape member 6 are the same direction, the twisted pair wire 4, theassembled article 5 and the tape member 6 are loosened or tightenedsynchronously when the composite cable 1 is distorted, and it is therebypossible to improve distortion resistance.

If, on the other hand, for example, the twist direction of the assembledarticle 5 is opposite to the winding direction of the tape member 6, andwhen the composite cable 1 is distorted in a direction in which theassembled article 5 is loosened (the diameter of the assembled article 5is increased), the tape member 6 is tightened in an opposite manner (thediameter of the tape member 6 is reduced) since the twist direction ofthe assembled article 5 is opposite to the winding direction of the tapemember 6. At this time, the assembled article 5 being loosened issqueezed by the tape member 6. Thus, stress is applied to the assembledarticle 5, resulting in that an excessive load is applied to a portionof the pair of first electric wires 2 or the twisted pair wire 4. Basedon this, in the present embodiment, the twist direction of the twistedpair wire 4, the twist direction of the assembled article 5 and thewinding direction of the tape member 6 are configured to be the same sothat the twisted pair wire 4, the assembled article 5 and the tapemember 6 is loosened or tightened synchronously. This allows thecomposite cable 1 to have improved distortion resistance.

Furthermore, since the twist direction of the twisted pair wire 4 is thesame as the twist direction of the assembled article 5, the assembledarticle 5 is twisted such that the twisted pair wire 4 and the firstelectric wires 2 are twisted together in a direction along the kink onthe twisted pair wire 4 caused by twisting the two second electric wires3. Therefore, when the composite cable 1 is bent, the pair of firstelectric wires 2 and the twisted pair wire 4 elongate or contractsynchronously in the longitudinal direction of the composite cable 1.This allows the composite cable 1 to be bent easily and it is therebypossible to improve flexibility of the composite cable 1.

In the present embodiment, the assembled article 5 is formed by twistingin a direction along the kink on the twisted pair wire 4. Therefore,when the sheath 7 is not manually unwound but the sheath 7 and the tapemember 6 are removed together by a dedicated stripping tool, etc., thefirst electric wires 2 and the twisted pair wire 4 tend to remain in thetwisted state because of the influence of the kink on the twisted pairwire 4. Stripping work is carried out in several stages when the removallength of the sheath 7 for cable termination is long. In case of thecomposite cable 1, since the twisted state of the first electric wires 2and the twisted pair wire 4 is maintained after each stripping work, thestripping work can be easily carried out in several stages.

In the present embodiment in which the twist direction of the twistedpair wire 4 is the same as the twist direction of the assembled article5, if the twist pitch P1 of the twisted pair wire 4 is the same as thetwist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5, the position of the firstelectric wires 2 relative to the second electric wires 3 is always thesame throughout the longitudinal direction and this may cause thedeformed appearance of the composite cable 1. Therefore, the twist pitchP1 of the twisted pair wire 4 is desirably different from the twistpitch P2 of the assembled article 5 (more specifically, not less than10% and not more than 80% different from (smaller than) the twist pitchP2 of the assembled article 5). When the twist pitch P1 of the twistedpair wire 4 is larger than the twist pitch P2 of the assembled article5, the twist pitch P1 of the twisted pair wire 4 may change at the timeof twisting the assembled article 5. Therefore, twist pitch P1 of thetwisted pair wire 4 is desirably smaller than at least the twist pitchP2 of the assembled article 5.

When the twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5 is reduced, thecomposite cable 1 becomes more flexible and is easily bent butdistortion resistance decreases due to the reduced looseness of thetwist. On the other hand, when the twist pitch P2 of the assembledarticle 5 is increased, distortion resistance is improved butflexibility decreases. In the present embodiment, since a load isdispersed by synchronously loosening or tightening the twisted pair wire4, the assembled article 5 and the tape member 6 when being distorted,it is possible to provide enough distortion resistance even when thetwist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5 is reduced to improveflexibility.

When the twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5 is the same as thewinding pitch P3 of the tape member 6, the tape member 6 is likely toenter a gap between the first electric wires 2 or between the firstelectric wire 2 and the twisted pair wire 4 due to pressure generatedwhen covering the outer periphery of the tape member 6 with the sheath7, which may cause the assembled article 5 with the tape member 6 woundtherearound to have a deformed cross sectional shape and thus a poorouter appearance, or may cause the assembled article 5 to be less likelyto slide inside the tape member 6 and thus a decrease in flexibility.Therefore, the winding pitch P3 of the tape member 6 is desirablydifferent from the twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5 (morespecifically, not less than 10% and not more than 80% different from(smaller than) the twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5).

Although the winding pitch P3 of the tape member 6 is the same as thetwist pitch P1 of the twisted pair wire 4 (about 30 mm) in the presentembodiment, the winding pitch P3 of the tape member 6 only needs to benot less than the twist pitch P1 of the twisted pair wire 4. In such aconfiguration, it is possible to reduce distortion of the tape member 6at a portion in contact with the twisted pair wire 4 and it is easy toform the composite cable 1 having a circular cross sectional shape.

(Description of Composite Harness Using the Composite Cable 1)

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a compositeharness in the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, a composite harness 10 is composed of the compositecable 1 in the present embodiment and a connector attached to at leastone of end portions of the first electric wires 2 and of the secondelectric wires 3.

In FIG. 3, an end portion on the wheel 102 side is shown on the leftside and an end portion on the vehicle body 105 side (the junction box106 side) is shown on the right side. In the following description, anend of the composite harness 10 on the wheel 102 side is referred to“one end” and another end on the vehicle body 105 side (the junction box106 side) is referred to as “other end”.

A wheel-side power connector 11 a for connection to the EPB motor 101 ais attached to one end of the pair of first electric wires 2, and avehicle body-side power connector 11 b for connection to the wire group107 inside the junction box 106 is attached to the other end of the pairof first electric wires 2.

The ABS sensor 104 a is attached to one end of the pair of secondelectric wires 3 (the twisted pair wire 4), and a vehicle body-side ABSconnector 12 for connection to the wire group 107 inside the junctionbox 106 is attached to the other end of the pair of second electricwires 3 (the twisted pair wire 4).

Although the separate connectors are provided on the first electricwires 2 and the second electric wires 3 (the twisted pair wire 4) inthis example, one dedicated connector may be provided so that bothelectric wires 2 and 3 are connected all together.

Functions and Effects of the Embodiment

As described above, the composite cable 1 in the present embodiment isprovided with the tape member 6 spirally wound around the assembledarticle 5 and is configured such that the twist direction of the twistedpair wire 4, the twist direction of the assembled article 5 and thewinding direction of the tape member 6 are the same direction.

Providing the tape member 6 can reduce friction between the electricwires 2, 3 and the sheath 7 without using a lubricant such as talcpowder, and thus reduces stress applied to the electric wires 2 and 3when being bent, and it is thereby possible to improve flex resistance.Since the tape member 6 can be easily removed when terminating thecable, it is possible to improve cable termination workability whilemaintaining flex resistance.

In addition, since the twist direction of the twisted pair wire 4, thetwist direction of the assembled article 5 and the winding direction ofthe tape member 6 are the same direction, it is easy to unravel theelectric wires 2 and 3, which improves disassemblability to furtherimprove cable termination workability and also improves distortionresistance.

Summary of the Embodiments

Technical ideas understood from the embodiment will be described belowciting the reference numerals, etc., used for the embodiment. However,each reference numeral, etc., described below is not intended to limitthe constituent elements in the claims to the members, etc.,specifically described in the embodiment.

[1] A composite cable (1), comprising: a pair of first electric wires(2); a twisted pair wire (4) formed by twisting a pair of secondelectric wires (3) having a smaller outer diameter than the firstelectric wires (2); and a tape member (6) spirally wound around anassembled article (5) that is formed by twisting the pair of firstelectric wires (2) and the twisted pair wire (4) together, wherein atwist direction of the twisted pair wire (4), a twist direction of theassembled article (5) and a winding direction of the tape member (6) arethe same direction.[2] The composite cable (1) defined by [1], wherein a twist pitch of thetwisted pair wire (4) is smaller than a twist pitch of the assembledarticle (5), and a winding pitch of the tape member (6) is smaller thanthe twist pitch of the assembled article (5) and is not less than thetwist pitch of the twisted pair wire (4).[3] The composite cable (1) defined by [1] or [2], wherein the tapemember (6) is configured such that a surface thereof in contact with theassembled article (5) comprises a non-woven fabric, a paper or a resinlayer.[4] The composite cable (1) defined by any one of [1] to [3], whereinthe first electric wire (2) comprises a power line for supplying a drivecurrent to a motor (101 a) for an electric parking brake (101) mountedon a wheel (102) of a vehicle (100).[5] The composite cable (1) defined by any one of [1] to [4], whereinthe second electric wire (3) comprises a signal line for a sensormounted on a wheel (102) of a vehicle (100).[6] The composite cable (1) defined by any one of [1] to [5], whereinthe assembled article (5) comprises a plurality of thread-like fillermaterials arranged between the pair of first electric wires (2)/thetwisted pair wire (4) and the tape member (6), the plurality of fillermaterials are twisted together with the pair of first electric wires (2)and the twisted pair wire (4), and a twist direction of the plurality offiller materials is the same as the twist direction of the assembledarticle (5) and is the same as the winding direction of the tape member(6).[7] A composite harness (10), comprising: the composite cable (1)defined by any one of [1] to [6]; and a connector attached to at leastone of end portions of the first electric wires (2) and of the secondelectric wires (3).

Although the embodiment of the invention has been described, theinvention according to claims is not to be limited to the embodimentdescribed above. Further, please note that all combinations of thefeatures described in the embodiment are not necessary to solve theproblem of the invention.

The invention can be appropriately modified and implemented withoutdeparting from the gist thereof.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   1: COMPOSITE CABLE-   2: FIRST ELECTRIC WIRE-   3: SECOND ELECTRIC WIRE-   4: TWISTED PAIR WIRE-   5: ASSEMBLED ARTICLE-   6: TAPE MEMBER-   7: SHEATH

1. A composite cable, comprising: a pair of first electric wires; atwisted pair wire formed by twisting a pair of second electric wires;and a tape member spirally wound around an assembled article that isformed by twisting the pair of first electric wires and the twisted pairwire together, wherein a twist pitch of the twisted pair wire is smallerthan a twist pitch of the assembled article, and wherein a winding pitchof the tape member is smaller than the twist pitch of the assembledarticle and is not less than the twist pitch of the twisted pair wire.2. The composite cable according to claim 1, wherein the pair of firstelectric wires are in contact with each other, the pair of secondelectric wires are in contact with each other and, the second electricwires are at least partially arranged in a triangle boundary areabetween the pair of first electric wires.
 3. The composite cableaccording to claim 2, wherein the second electric wires are in contactwith the pair of first electric wires in the triangle boundary areabetween the pair of first electric wires.
 4. The composite cableaccording to claim 1, wherein an outer diameter of the assembled articleis 5 mm to 9 mm, a width of the tape member is 20 mm to 50 mm, and thetape member is spirally wound around the assembled article such that anoverlap width of the tape member is not less than ¼ and not more than ½of a width of the tape member.
 5. The composite cable according to claim1, wherein the tape member is configured such that a surface thereof incontact with the assembled article comprises a non-woven fabric, a paperor a resin layer.
 6. The composite cable according to claim 1, whereinthe first electric wire comprises a power line for supplying a drivecurrent to a motor for an electric parking brake mounted on a wheel of avehicle, and the second electric wire comprises a signal line for asensor mounted on a wheel of a vehicle.
 7. The composite cable accordingto claim 1, wherein the second electric wire comprises a signal line fora sensor mounted on a wheel of a vehicle.
 8. The composite cableaccording to claim 1, wherein the assembled article comprises aplurality of thread-like filler materials arranged between the pair offirst electric wires/the twisted pair wire and the tape member.
 9. Thecomposite cable according to claim 1, wherein a shield conductor isprovided around the twisted pair wire.
 10. The composite cable accordingto claim 1, further comprising: a sheath provided to cover a peripheryof the tape member, wherein the first electric wire is configured suchthat a first conductor is covered with a first insulation, wherein thesecond electric wire is configured such that a second conductor iscovered with a second insulation, wherein a friction coefficient betweenthe tape member and the first insulation and a friction coefficientbetween the tape member and the second insulation are lower than afriction coefficient between the sheath and the first insulation and afriction coefficient between the sheath and the second insulation.
 11. Acomposite harness, comprising: the composite cable according to claim 1;and a connector attached to at least one of end portions of the firstelectric wires and of the second electric wires.